Collapsible clothes rack

ABSTRACT

A collapsible clothes rack comprising a rectangular frame having horizontal base and top members and vertical side members each of which may be pulled apart and separated into half members for transporting. There are also provided horizontal transverse members which extend from the respective ends of the base member and which serve to hold the rack in an upright position. According to one embodiment of the invention, angle members extend from the transverse members and the base member, respectively, and are pivotally attached to a slidable collar on the side member. According to another embodiment, base stretchers extend between the ends of each pair of transverse members disposed on the same side of the horizontal base member, said base stretchers being adapted to telescope inwardly as the transverse members are folded to a position parallel to and abutting the horizontal base member.

United States Patent [191 Cooper Nov. 11, 1975 1 41 COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES RACK FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 167.901 8/1921 United Kingdom 211/178 R 400.484 4/1966 Switzerland 211/178 R Primary Eraminer-Ramon S. Britts Attorney. Age/11. 0r Firm-Brumbaugh. Graves. Donohue & Raymond [5 7 1 ABSTRACT A collapsible clothes rack comprising a rectangular frame having horizontal base and top members and vertical side members each of which may be pulled apart and separated into half members for transporting. There are also provided horizontal transverse members which extend from the respective ends of the base member and which serve to hold the rack in an upright position. According to one embodiment of the invention. angle members extend from the transverse members andthe base member. respectively, and are pivotally attached to a slidable collar on the side member. According to another embodiment, base stretchers extend between the ends of each pair of transverse members disposed on the same side of the horizontal base membensaid base stretchers being adapted to telescope inwardly as the transverse members are folded to a position parallel to and abutting the horizontal base member.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Novtll, 1975 Sheet1of3 3,918,591

Sheet 2 of 3 U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sl 1eet3 of 3 3,918,591

US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a clothes rack which may be disassembled and transported. Such clothes racks are used not only by garment stores and the like on the sales floor and in storage areas but are also carried and used by garment salesmen who must be assured that their goods will be advantageously displayed when calling on customers. In this regard, the clothes rack according to the invention offers the particular advantage of being disassembled and easily carried aboard airplanes or other public conveyances by the salesman. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a clothes rack that is stable and sturdy enough in its set up condition to withstand prolonged rough handling by garment store customers or employees and yet be capable of easy disassembly and carrying by traveling salesmen andthe like. I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is provided, in accordance with the invention, a clothes rack having a rectangular frame. The horizontal and vertical components of the frame may, if desired, each be separated into half members so that in a disassembled condition the clothes rack may be fitted into a carrying case and easily transported. In its set up condition, the clothes rack is supported by transverse members which extend from and are perpendicular to the horizontal base member and the vertical side members.

According to one embodiment of the invention. base stretchers are provided which are parallel to the base member and which extend between the ends of oppositely disposed transverse members. The transverse members are pivotally attached to the base member and are capable of swinging to a position parallel to and abutting the base members. In orderto permit the transverse members to be thus moved, the base stretchers are adapted to telescope inwardly and accommodate the lessened distance between the respective ends of the transverse members.

In another embodiment of the invention, the transverse members are supported by pivotally mounted angle members extending from the slidable collar on the side member to a pivotal mounting on the horizontal base member thus permitting the base member to be folded into a position parallel to and abutting the side and transverse members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of my clothes rack.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting an alternative means of attaching the angle member and the transverse members depicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plain view of the base section of a second embodiment of my clothes rack.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the indicated portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the indicated portion of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. I,- the rack according to the invention comprises a rectangular frame having a base hori- Zontal member 10 which may be pulled apart at its midpoint when the rack is disassembled to form half members II and 12. When the rack is in use. the two half members 11 and 12 are preferably connected together and held in rigid alignment by a sleeve 13 or the like which extends from half member 11 and which has an outside diameter only slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the half member 12. Thus the sleeve 13 may be inserted in the open end of half member 12 and locked in place by a conventional locking mechanism such as a push-button 14 adapted to extend through hole 15. While base member 10 is shown as being substantially square in cross-section, it will be appreciated that any cross-sectional shape will be appropriate so long as it does not detract significantly from the strength of the rack.

Base member 10 is attached to vertical side members 16 by hinges 17 positioned so as to permit the half members 11 and 12 to swing upwardly against the respective side members 'for disassembly. When the half members 11 and 12 are swung downwardly away from the side members 16, their respective ends preferably abut the side member as the side members reach a posi tionperpendicu lar to the side members and are thereby prevented from further downward movement. Similarly, transverse members 18 are attached in the same manner to vertical members 16 by hinges 19.

It will be appreciated that the hinge attachment of the base member 10 and transverse members 18 to the side members 16 is exemplary only and that other means of attachment may be employed which permit the transverse members and base member to swing upwardly against the side members. Casters 20 are pivotally mounted at the outer ends of the transverse members to permit the assembled rack to be rolled about on the floor.

For added'support and to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the rack, angle members 21 are pivotally attachedto the bottom [half members 11 and 12 and to a slidable collar 22 on each side member 16. By sliding the collars up the side members 16, the bottom half members 1 1 and 12 are pulled upwardly until they are positioned parallel to and against the side members Angle members 23 are each similarly pivotally attached to a transverse member 18 and one end and a collar 22 on the other and serve to pull the transverse members upwardly against the side members. While FIG. 1 depicts the angle members 23 as being attached to the transverse members inwardly of the casters 20 it will be apparent that this point of attachment may be moved outwardly to or beyond the casters. Also, the angle members need not be attached to one side of the transverse members as shown in FIG. 1 but may be pivotally mounted in a slot in the top or end of the transverse member as shown in FIG. 2.

Locking means such as a push-button lock 24 are preferably located on the side members 16 so as to engage the collar 22 when it is positioned such that the bottom and transverse members are perpendicular to the side members. While the pushbutton lock 24 is shown engaging the upper surface of the collar, it may otherwise be adapted to engage the collar such as through a hole in the collar. It will be appreciated that locking means other than a push-button lock may be employed such as a thumb screw or the like.

Looking to FIG. 3, in another embodiment of the invention. the angle members may be omitted and additional support for the transverse members may be provided instead by base stretchers 37 extending between the transverse members 18 on opposite ends of the rack. The base strctchcrs each comprise two half stretcher members 38 and 39. The hall stretcher member 38 has an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of half stretcher member 39 and is adapted to slide in and out of said half stretcher member 39.

In the particular embodiment shown, the transverse members are attached to the side and base member so as to pivot inwardly in a horizontal plane to a position parallel to and abutting base member 10. As the transverse members are pivoted inwardly, e.g., to a position depicted by the broken lines 40, base stretcher members 37 become shortened and the half stretcher members 38 telescope into the half stretcher members 39. In a fully collapsed position, as is depicted by the broken lines 41, the transverse members 18 and the base stretcher extending therebetween are aligned and abut the base member 10. in order to prevent the transverse members from inadvertently pivoting inwardly, locking means such as a push-button 42 are provided on the base stretchers to lock the base stretchers in a fully extended position.

The transverse members depicted in FIG. 3 may be pivotally attached to the side and base members in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Thus, looking to FIG. 4, a bracket 43 is welded or otherwise attached to the end of horizontal base member 10. The bracket 43 has a three-sided upright collar portion 44 in which the side member 16 is positioned when in the assembled or upright condition. The bracket also has a horizontal plate portion the central portion 45 of which is attached to the horizontal base member and the side portions of which form bottom flanges 46 on opposite sides of the horizontal base member. Extending from the top edge of the two side walls of the collar portion 44 are horizontal top flanges 47. Positioned between the top and bottom flanges on each side of the horizontal base member are cylinders which may be held in place by pins 49 or the like.

The transverse members are pivotally attached to the bracket cylinders by cylindrical sleeves 50 welded to the ends of the transverse members and having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the cylinders 48. It will be appreciated that the strength and stability of the rack will be enhanced if the cylinders and sleeves are longer than the top-to-bottom thickness of the transverse members.

The degree of rotation of the sleeves 50 about the cylinders 48 may be limited by means of a stop pin 51 extending from the cylinder and engaging a slot 52 in the sleeve. The sleeve may thus be rotated between the extreme positions whereby the stop pin encounters the opposite ends of the slot. By this arrangement, the stop pin and the slot may be positioned such that the transverse member may only be pivoted from a position parallel to and abutting the base horizontal member and a position perpendicular to the base member.

It will be appreciated that in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, it is not necessary or desirable that the base horizontal member 10 be separable into half members since it is intended that in the collapsed posi tion the base horizontal member 10 abut and be parallel to each of the two sligned transverse member base stretcher transverse member combinations.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the vertical side members 16 may also be constructed so as to permit each of them to be pulled apart to form upper and lower side half members 25 and 26. As was the case with the bottom half members 11 and 12, the side half members may be rigidly joined together by means of sleeves 27 attached to either the upper or lower side half member and adapted to slide into the open end of the other side half member. Since the force of gravity will effectively prevent the side half members from accidently separating, a locking push-button or the like is not required.

Completing the rectangular rack is a top horizontal member 28 which may also be separated into two top half members 29 and 30 joinable by means of a sleeve 31 attached to one of the half members. Means such as a push-button lock engageable with a hole 33 may be employed to prevent the two top half members from accidently separating.

The horizontal topmember 28 may be attached to the vertical side members by means of projecting sleeves 34 welded perpendicularly to the ends of the top member. The sleeves are adapted to slide into the open upper ends 35 of the side members 16 and may be held by the force of-gravity.

In order to extend the usable carrying length of the top member 28, pullouts 36 may be provided. These pullouts are slidably mounted within the ends of the horizontal top member and can be pulled therefrom when desired. Locking means may also be provided so as to prevent the pullouts from being accidently withdrawn from the top member. Suitable in this regard would be a push-button mounted on each pullout and adapted to snap through holes in the top member when the pullout is in either a fully extended or unextended position. g

The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be merely exemplary, and numerous variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A collapsible clothes rack comprising a rectangular frame having horizontal base and top members and vertical side members, each of said side members being comprised of two separable half members, four transverse members, two at each end of said base member and pivotally attached thereto such that said transverse members are on opposite sides of the base member and extend perpendicularly from both the base member and the adjacent side member and adapted to be folded inwardly to a position abutting and parallel to said base member, a base stretcher extending between the outer ends of each pair of transverse members located on the same side of the base member and pivotally attached to said outer ends of said transverse members, each base stretcher comprising two half stretcher members with one of said members slidably reeeived within the other, said one member adapted to telescope farther into the other thereby permitting the transverse members attached to said base stretcher to be folded inwardly until transverse members and the base stretcher extending therebetween are aligned and are parallel to and abutting said base member, releasable locking means on each base stretcher adapted to prevent said half stretcher member from telescoping when said transverse members are in a position perpendicular to said base member the lower hallmember of each side member being pivotally attached to said base member and l'oldublc from a vertical position perpendicular to said base member to a horizontal position parallel to and abutting said base member, said horizontal top member being separable from each top half member of each said side member, and casters mounted on the outer end of each transverse member and adapted to permit the rack to be rolled about on the floor.

2. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 wherein said horizontal top member is attached to each said side member by a projecting sleeve extending vertically downwardly from the top member and adapted to slide into the open upper ends of said side member.

3. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 having pullouts slidably mounted within the ends of the horizontal top member and adapted to be pulled outwardly from said ends thereby increasing the carrying length of the top memberv 4. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 wherein said two transverse members at each end of said horizontal base member are pivotally attached to said horizontal base member by means of a bracket having upper and lower flanges on each side of the base member. and a cylinder positioned between each said upper and lower flange on each side of said horizontal base member, said cylinder being surrounded by a retatable cylindrical sleeve attached to the end of one of the respective transverse members.

5. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 4 wherein said cylinder has a stop pin mounted thereon, said stop pin adapted to engage a slot in said cylindrical sleeve such that the degree of rotation of the sleeve about the cylinder is limited by the distance the pin may move within the slot before encountering one or the other end of said slot. 

1. A collapsible clothes rack comprising a rectangular frame having horizontal base and top members and vertical side members, each of said side members being comprised of two separable half members, four transverse members, two at each end of said base member and pivotally attached thereto such that said transverse members are on opposite sides of the base member and extend perpendicularly from both the base member and the adjacent side member and adapted to be folded inwardly to a position abutting and parallel to said base member, a base stretcher extending between the outer ends of each pair of transverse members located on the same side of the base member and pivotally attached to said outer ends of said transverse members, each base stretcher comprising two half stretcher members with one of said members slidably received within the other, said one member adapted to telescope farther into the other thereby permitting the transverse members attached to said base stretcher to be folded inwardly until transverse members and the base stretcher extending therebetween are aligned and are parallel to and abutting said base member, releasable locking means on each base stretcher adapted to prevent said half stretcher member from telescoping when said transverse members are in a position perpendicular to said base member, the lower half member of each side member being pivotally attached to said base member and foldable from a vertical position perpendicular to said base member to a horizontal position parallel to and abutting said base member, said horizontal top member being separable from each top half member of each said side member, and casters mounted on the outer end of each transverse member and adapted to permit the rack to be rolled about on the floor.
 2. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 wherein said horizontal top member is attached to each said side member by a projecting sleeve extending vertically downwardly from the top member and adapted to slide into the open upper ends of said side member.
 3. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 having pullouts slidably mounted within the ends of the horizontal top member and adapted to be pulled outwardly from said ends thereby increasing the carrying length of the top member.
 4. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 1 wherein said two transverse members at each end of said horizontal base member are pivotally attached to said horizontal base member by means of a bracket having upper and lower flanges on each side of the base member, and a cylinder positioned beTween each said upper and lower flange on each side of said horizontal base member, said cylinder being surrounded by a rotatable cylindrical sleeve attached to the end of one of the respective transverse members.
 5. A collapsible clothes rack according to claim 4 wherein said cylinder has a stop pin mounted thereon, said stop pin adapted to engage a slot in said cylindrical sleeve such that the degree of rotation of the sleeve about the cylinder is limited by the distance the pin may move within the slot before encountering one or the other end of said slot. 